Stephen Montgomery

We aim to understand how neural systems evolve to produce behavioural and ecological diversity, and how those systems in turn shape eco-evolutionary processes.

 

Research Area

The evolution of neural systems underpins much of the diversity in behaviour, sensory and cognitive abilities seen across animal life, and interactions between neural systems and organismal behaviour are at the heart of many ecological and evolutionary processes. Our aim is to understand how these interactions shape adaptive neural evolution, define how individuals behave, and how diversity evolves.    To reach this aim we combine approaches across the biological sciences - from behaviour and ecology, to neuroanatomy, development and genomics - experiments in the lab, insectaries and field, and studies of individuals, populations and across broad phylogenies. Our general approach is to leverage natural variation in neural systems, their developmental origins and ecological context. We therefore often work on adaptive radiations of species with well-described, variable ecologies, major behavioural innovations, and emerging experimental tractability. Currently, our main study systems are Neotropical butterflies, in particular the Heliconiini and Ithomiini, which display striking ecological diversity, but we are always happy to consider other systems and have collaborations with other groups across a range of taxa in Cambridge and elsewhere. We aim to be an inclusive and collaborative lab, and have enjoyable partnerships with colleagues across Latin America, the USA, Europe and the UK.

 

Project Interests

We are primarily interested in projects centred around four broad areas:

1. Sensory neuroecology of niche partitioning and ecological divergence
2. Evolution, genetics and sensory mechanisms underpinning social behaviour
3. Brain and cognitive evolution, and specialisations in learning and memory
4. The (co-)evolution of longevity, memory and dietary resources

Projects can range from those focused on ecology and behaviour, through to those focused on neuroanatomy, development, or genomics, or may combine multiple approaches. In the past, many of our postgraduates have combined multiple approaches to tackle a particular question in an integrative way.